Union undergarment



Patented June 28, 1927.

UNITED STATES AL'Il-IIEJAv T. BERRY, OF WOLFEBORO, `NEVI HAMPSHIRE.

UNION UNDERGARMENT.

Application filed. January This invention relates to a union .undergarment composed of sections of fabric united by seams to form an upper body or waist portion and combined lower body and leg` port-ions.

One object ofthe invention is to improve the construction of the leg portions in such manner that their inner sides, which are subjected to the greatest wear, have a` maximum resistance to'wear and are free fiomliability to creep lengthwise on the legs of the wearer.

Another object is to improve the construction of the upper body or waist portion inV such manner that the back thereof has greater freedom to expand and contract vertically than the front, so that the upper body or waist port-ion is adapted to conform' to bending and other movements of the portion of the wearers body abovethe waist, without being displaced thereby, and is at the saine time adapted to yieldingly conform to said body portion, without ob]ectionable looseness. y

I atta-in theseand 'other related objects by the improvements hereinafter described vand claimed. l

0f the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificationf- Figure 1 is a front view of a .union undergarinent embodying the invention, showing the garment flattened. y f

Figure 2 is a rear view of thesame.

Figure 3 shows in perspective and separately the combined lower body and leg sections Ashow n by the preceding figures, the sections being opened and the reinforcing means omitted. y

Figure t shows in perspective one of the combined sections provided with reinforcing Y means.

Figures 5 and 6 show, respectively, the pieces of which the front and back upper body sections are made.

Figure 7 shows one of the pieces of which the combined lower body and leg sections are made.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

The upper body or waist portion of my improved garment is composed of a front section 12, and a back section 13, said sections bein@v united to each other by longi tudinalside seams 14.

The combined lower body and leg sections 15, l5 united at their upper ends the 5, 1926. Serial No. 79,445.

upper 'body sections "by a circumferential seam 16 at the waist line.

The upper body sections 12 and 13 are preferably made of knitted 4fabric for reasons hereinafterv appearing. It is also preferable, for various reasons, to vmake the combined lower body andleg sections of the same fabric, altlioughany other suitable fabric 'may be employed for these sections.

Each combined lower body and leg section is 'composed of a single piece 'of fabric, the preferred form of which is show'n'by Figure 7. Said piece has curved longitudinalv edges 17, united to each other by a curved longitudinal seam 18, 'to form one sidey of lower body portionand a leg tube, the seam being only at the outer side of the combined section, so that the lower body portions are closed at opposite sides of the garment and the leg tubes are Vstraightlaird seamless at their inner sides. The .inner side-of each leg, therefore, Vpresents a vseamless surface `Each section 15 is provided with; a ventV slit 20, extending downward from its upper endon the longitudinal line of the section,

and terminating above the inidlen'gth there.

of. Said'slit forms free edges of two flaps v21, adapted to overlap like fi'aps yon the other section 15, as shown by Figures 1 and 2. The portion of the section 15 may be provided with reinforcing means at the closed end of the slit, said means being preferably embodied in a fabric patch 22, stitched to the seamless side of the leg portion and preferably extending from the slit 2O tothe lower end portion of the leg.

As above stated, a knitted fabric is the preferred material of the combined lower body and leg sections, this being the fabric commonly used in the manufacture of this class of underwear. It is well known that knitted fabric is relatively inelastic length- .wise of its wales, which are indicated by parallel lines in the drawing, and has a considerable degree of elasticity or freedom to expand and contract crosswise of the wales. l/Vhen the sectionsI 15 are made of knitted fabric, the walesl eit'eiid substantially aralf lel with the lengitutlinal median line o eaeli.

section, and are non-parallel with the curved edges 17, as indicated by `Figure 7. rlhe wales at the inner side of the leg portion, therefore, extend straight up and down, so that the inner side has a desirable smoothness and resistance to wear, and is not liable to creep lengthwise.

The upper body sections 12 and 13, of knitted fabric, are characterized as follows:

The wales of the back section 13 extend horizontally, as indicated by Figures 2 and 6, so that this section is vadapted to expand and contract vertically. The reason for this is, that when the wearer reaches, bends, or stoops, the back section is adapted to conform freely to these movements, so that the garment will not draw up at the shoulders, at the front, and down at the back .of the neck. In other words, l [ind that this arrangement of the wales in the back section allows all .desirable freedom of movement of the wearers body above the waist, without displacement of the upper body portion of the garment, either at the front or back.

The wales of the front section 12 extend vertically,.as shown by Figures 1 and 5, so that this section is adapted to expand and contract horizontally and yieldingly conform thesections 12 and 13 to the Wearers body aboveV the waist.

The described improvements may be emv bodied in a garment for men, or for women,

made either high or low necked, sleeved or sleeveless, with legs either of ankle length, or knee length, and in knee length having either'a tight or a loose knee.

The drawings show a vgarment which is sleeveless, and of `knee length with a tight knee.

I claim: e

vl. A union undergarment comprising a waist portion and two combined lower body and leg portions, the waist portion including front and back sections united by longitudinal side seams, and being of knitted fabric which Vis relatively inelastic lengthwise of its wales, and ,elastiecrosswise thereof, the wales of the back section extending horizontally throughout the areal thereof so that said section is adapted to expand and contract vertically and conform to various movements of the portion of the wearers body above the waist, while the wales throughout the area of the front section en# tend vertically, so that said section is adapted to expand and contract horizontally, the combined lower body and leg portions being united to the waist portion by'a circun'iferential seam at the waist line of the garni-nit and each combined lower body and leg portion being slit'ted downward from itsY upper end along the longitudinal median line thereof to form two vent slits extending from the waist line of the garment to the leg portions thereof.

2. A union undergarment comprising a waist portion, two combined lower body and leg portions united to the upper body portion by a circumferential seam at the waist line of the garment and each being seamless along the inside of the legs of the garment and having a single longitudinally curved seam extending along the outside. of each leg, each combined lower body and leg portion being'slitted downward from its upper end along the longitudinal median line thereof to forni two vent slits extending from the waist line of the garment to the leg portions thereof, and reinforcements extending downward along the inner, seamless,side of each leg portion from the lower ends of said SlitS. Y i

In testimony whereof I have alixed my signature. i

ALTI-IEA T, BERRY 

